Cheney returning to site of Texas hunting mishap

Published 6:00 pm, Thursday, February 7, 2008

Here's to better luck this time.

Vice President Dick Cheney is returning this weekend to the South Texas ranch where he accidentally shot a hunting companion two years ago. Anne Armstrong said Cheney was expected to arrive Friday at the Armstrong's 50,000-acre ranch.

"We have a wonderful quail crop, and he is a fabulous shot," said Armstrong, a former U.S. ambassador to Great Britain and adviser to Republican presidents.

It's Cheney's first trip back to the ranch since the Feb. 11, 2006, hunting mishap that sparked a worldwide frenzy of scrutiny and jokes at the vice president's expense.

Cheney shot Austin attorney Harry Whittington in the torso, neck and face when he pulled the trigger on his 28-gauge shotgun. The vice president later called it "one of the worst days of my life" and said, "The image of him falling is something I'll never ever be able to get out of my mind."

The shooting was ruled an accident. Whittington was hospitalized for six days.

Press secretary Megan Mitchell said Cheney will give a speech in Pennsylvania on Friday before traveling to South Texas, where he is scheduled to stay through Sunday afternoon.